Jane Krakowski, Jesse Eisenberg And John Benjamin Hickey To Guest Star In Modern Family

As if to make up for the fact that this week’s episode was a rerun (and there's no new ep next week either), Modern Family is lining up some pretty fantastic guest stars for an upcoming episode of the series’ fifth season. 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski, The Big C’s John Benjamin Hickey and The Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg are all set to appear in the same episode of the popular ABC comedy, though their roles are all related to different members of this modern family.

E! posted the news of this excellent trio of guest stars, all of whom will appear in the season’s eleventh episode, which means this isn’t a sweeps gimmick, just a great bit of casting. Ladies first, so let’s start with Jane Krakowski. Well known for playing Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock — or going further back, Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal — Krakowski will be facing off against Gloria as Dr. Donna, a “mean girl mommy” whose path crosses with Gloria’s at Manny’s school somehow. She becomes a nemesis to Gloria, which probably won’t bode well for Dr. Donna. It sounds like a great arc, as we know how funny Krakowski can be, and Gloria’s always at her best when she’s facing a challenge. She’s sweet, but she’s tough.

Next up we have Jesse Eisenberg, known for his excellent performances in such films as The Social Network and Zombieland, among other movies. Eisenberg’s going to play a guy named Asher, who’s a neighbor of Cam and Mitchell’s and is known to be particularly “ecologically aware,” which means he might end up putting some pressure on Mitchell and Cam to be more green. Whether he’s being dramatic or funny, Eisenberg’s a scene-stealer, so it’ll be great to see how he interacts with Cam and Mitch.

Last but not least is the great John Benjamin Hickey, whose recent credits include playing Cathy’s brother Sean in The Big C and the role of Neil Gross in The Good Wife. In Modern Family, Hickey will play a therapist to one of the Dunphy members. E!’s betting it’s Claire who’s on the couch, but if we’re taking a stab, I’m going to guess Luke. That kid's story takes some weird turns. So let’s say something happens to put him in therapy. I can only imagine what kind of stuff he’d talk about. With that said, putting Hickey in mind, I’d actually love to see how he interacts with Julie Bowen on screen, so maybe E!’s guess isn’t such a bad one.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. But keep in mind, the next new episode doesn’t air until November 13.